Presto! Costume adventure works magic on summer doldrums

September 01, 2006|STEVEN REA The Philadelphia Inquirer

A wonderful anachronism of a movie, "The Illusionist" -- with its clip-clopping horses, gaslit lanterns and Hollywood stars elocuting in quasi-Euro accents -- conjures up a world of mystery, romance and suspense. It's the kind of compelling costume adventure that Ronald Colman or Errol Flynn might have starred in 60 years ago. Made to look old (sepia-hued, with iris fade-outs and other vintage studio storytelling tools), it comes across as just the opposite: invigorating and new. Set in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, this adaptation by director Neil Burger of a Steven Millhauser short story is what late summer at the multiplexes needs. Just as you've abandoned all hope in the face of generic CG cartoons and J-horror remakes, along comes Edward Norton as a master magician with more than a trick or two up his sleeve. Presto! Faith in filmdom is restored. The actor, sporting a trim beard and an enigmatic air, is Eisenheim, a figure who comes out of nowhere (well, actually, out of a childhood and adolescence shown in lovely prologues) to wow the Viennese with his sleight of hand. Word of Eisenheim's head-turning artistry travels fast, and soon the conjurer is playing to packed houses, to elite assemblies at the royal court. But there's a problem, or two. People believe he is really summoning the dead from beyond the grave. And some of Eisenheim's routines are so extraordinarily unroutine that they defy logic, and gravity, causing serious consternation on the part of one Crown Prince Leopold (a dastardly, despotic Rufus Sewell). The other problem: Leopold's fiancée, the beautiful noblewoman Sophie (Jessica Biel), seems to know this Eisenheim fellow -- perhaps too well. Enter Chief Inspector Uhl, an ambitious bureaucrat allied with the Crown Prince, and played with a crafty, watchful eye by Paul Giamatti. If M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" showed him struggling mightily to bring depth to the shallowest of roles, "The Illusionist" gives Giamatti a chance to strut his stuff with a great character part -- a smart, squirrelly policeman who is charmed by Eisenheim and his talents, but whose loyalty to Leopold comes first. "The Illusionist" is full of great touches, not the least of them being the tricks that Eisenheim performs. Norton brings a cool intensity to these prestidigitations -- pushing his palm upright and forcing his eyes to show the labor of some powerful, internal psychic force. Along with the intensity, however, there's also a beguiling casual quality to his performance. Norton offers the slightest of shrugs, a raised eyebrow or two, as Eisenheim tells Sophie of his long peregrinating years, apprenticing with sage masters in exotic regions of the world. And Biel, whose film work thus far has been restricted to notably silly action fare ("Stealth," "Blade: Trinity"), has a nice, elegant, classical appeal. The two share only a few scenes, but they're big scenes, and the actress does more than what is required of her. The less said about the twists and turns "The Illusionist" takes, the better. Suffice to say, Eisenheim's masterful deceptions do not stop when he exits the stage.